Jeremiah Fellowship: Human Kinship and Social Justice
Lia Mandelbaum, whose popular blog Sacred Intentions appears on the Jewish Journal’s website, writes about her graduation ceremony at BCC last week, as a part of the Jeremiah Fellowship with Bend the Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Justice. BCC member Nathan (Nate) Looney also took part in the graduation event. Mazel Tov!
On May 22, I had a graduation ceremony at Beth Chayim Chadashim, to honor the completion of my nine month fellowship in the 2012-2013 Los Angeles Cohort of the Jeremiah Fellowship with Bend the Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Justice.
I wanted to share with you the speech I had given, about my invaluable experience as a Jeremiah Fellow. Through the fellowship, I was blessed with opportunities to work collaboratively across lines of race and faith with people and communities throughout the United States to create economic opportunity and secure basic rights. I also gained the tools to engage in and help lead local community organizing campaigns, and take part in community service and advocacy. If you’re interested, please click {HERE} to check out the Bend the Arc website for information on applying to the fellowship.
My Speech
At our very first Jeremiah meeting at the Westside JCC, as a way to get to know one another better, Lee asked each of us to write down two people that we see as role models. When I shared about my two hero’s, Bayard Rustin, and Raoul Wallenberg, I recognized that I was getting a bit worked up, and I became very embarrassed and could feel my face turning red. After I shared, I sunk back into my seat, and began to feel vulnerable and exposed to these unfamiliar faces. I didn’t want them to know how much I truly cared.
I had a really wonderful moment on my way home that night, where I was able to recognize and take comfort in knowing that the fellowship could potentially be the perfect space, where I could be open with likeminded individuals, about my intense passion for social justice. I felt that this could be an opportunity to expose and own different parts of myself, and ultimately help me to be a more whole individual.
Read the full post on the Jewish Journal
Jeremiah Fellows: Allyson Schwartz, Laura Mizes, Gamal Palmer, Natalie Karic, Kimberly Duenas, Nathan Looney, Negin Yamini, Jillian Ezra, Ethan Weiss, Ryan Brooks, Farrah Azizi, Jason Lipeles, Hannah Bernstein.
One Comment on “Jeremiah Fellowship: Human Kinship and Social Justice”
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Arlene Ford May 28, 2013 pm31 2:31 pm .
Oh my dear Lia ~ Your writing skills have always been most special and to see you at this point in your life lifts my soul. Am so very proud of you! Warmly, Ar
